| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Viewed: 12/1/2020 |
Page Views: 11089 | |
| My personal life…don't read about it if you don't want to know about it! | |||
I once met a man who was in his nineties, and still lived in the house in which he was born. He had never traveled outside his county in Nebraska, had never wanted to, and still did what he had done all his life: work the farm he'd inherited from his father.
If he's at one end of the spectrum of human experience, I might well be at the other! I've been married to a woman and to men (at different times); been a father to four and a grandfather to five (so far). I've been a radio DJ, a sailor, a truck driver, an instructor, a ditch-digger (for one day—that was enough), a computer programmer and a writer. Oh, and an actor and a lifeguard—and an aficionado of camping and whitewater rafting. I've visited almost twenty countries (again, so far), and been in an alien spacecraft. I've gone from being a Catholic to exploring various religions until finding that "spiritual, not religious" works best for me.
In this section of my site you'll find some of the history and people that led me along these roads and made me the man I am today.
(For details on the places I've been, check out my Travel section.)
My autobiographical essays are not yet complete. But you may use the following links to get to them in chronological order, if you wish.
My First Address
And Then I Was Born…
My First Move
The White Dream
Grandma Johnson
The Toy Box
Blizzard
The Gift Of Music
Mysterious Visitor
Mommy's Little Helper
The Time I Ran Away
Christmas, 1956
First Grade
Kindergarten
That Time We Moved To Vermont
Second Grade
Farewell, My Father
Christmas, 1958
Second Grade in New Jersey
Return to Victory
Third Grade
Our First Vermont Winter
Renovations
1961: The Beach House
Spring, 1961
Visiting Grandparents in St Johnsbury
A Visit From The Browns
St. George Street
Rattlesnake!
The Fact of Difference
Father's Day Photo Op
My Date With Carla
Flying Saucers I Have Known
Class Night
My First Plane Flight
Adam Parker Pye
My First Wedding
Our First Apartment
Palm Coast
On The Radio
How I Spent My Summer and Fall Co-op Terms
Christmas 1991
Christmas 1992
1993 Year In Review
1994 Year In Review
How A Good Boy Went Bad
1998 Year In Review
My Big Fat Gay Wedding
2003: Christmas Dinner
2005: Merry Christmas
Wisdom Teeth and Intelligent Design
Christmas Wish List
Christmas Letter 2006!
Christmas Letter 2007
Merry Christmas, 2008
The House On Natal
25 Random Facts About Me, Paul S. Cilwa
Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
Wheel of Seasons
Christmas Letter 2009
Office Space
Oh, My Arm!
Enjoying Our Pool
Guns and Roses
The War Between Cats and Dogs
Oh, My Hands!
Tenth Anniversary
Nancy Drew and the Missing Cell Phone
Uh-oh, I Wet My Cellphone
Augusta Ranch Picnic
Halloween, 2010
Christmas Letter, 2010
Jason
Oh, My Leg!
Jason and Paul's Grand Canyon Wedding
Obsession
Codependency
Christmas, 2011
Relationship 2.0
A Letter To The Court
Risks
Farewell, My 2015
2016: Year In Review
Our Little Home In Key West
Changing Sanctuaries
Flash Wedding
Christmas 2017
My 67th Birthday
Christmas, 2018
1950s
1951
My First Address
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/8/1951 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Clifton #NewJersey #StyertowneApartments Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 3175 |
| Details of where my parents lived when I was born. | |||
| Milestone: | Change of Residence |
|---|---|
| Address: | Styertowne Apartments, 930 Bloomfield Ave, Clifton, NJ 07012 |
Read more…
And Then I Was Born…
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/8/1951 7:05:00 PM |
Topics: #Autobiography #Clifton #NewJersey #StyertowneApartments Milestone: #Birth | Page Views: 5343 |
| My babyhood in Clifton, New Jersey. | |||
| Milestone: | Birth |
|---|---|
| Who: | Paul Sigmund Cilwa |
| Date and time: | April 8, 1951 7:05 PM |
| Where: | Mountainside Hospital, Glen Ridge, New Jersey |
| Father: | Walter Sigimund Cilwa |
| Mother: | Edna Mae (Brown) Cilwa |
Read more…
1952
My First Move
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/1/1952 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Clifton #NewJersey #StyertowneApartments Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 3572 |
| We move into my father's factory. | |||
| Milestone: | Change of Residence |
|---|---|
| Address: | 248 MacArthur Ave, Garfield, NJ |
Read more…
The White Dream
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/1/1952 |
Topics: #AlienAbductions #Autobiography | Page Views: 3177 |
| An early nightmare…or alien abduction? | |||
Sometime before my third year, something happened that I remember, though out of context. That is, it happened, and I remember it too clearly to be a dream; but I have no lead-in memory and no lead-out memory.
Read more…
1956
Blizzard
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/25/1956 |
Topics: #Autobiography | Page Views: 3136 |
| Four-year-olds don't necessarily know when to come in out of the cold. | |||
Now, I had done this before. Forbidden to cross the street, no one had told me I couldn't go all the way around the block. One by one, I had knocked on the neighbors' doors and asked them if they had a record player and, if so, could I see it? Most had invited me in, given me cookies and milk, and allowed me to choose a record to listen to. In this way, I had discovered there were such things as automatic record changers, and long-playing records that rotated incredibly slowly but played beautifully.
Read more…
The Gift Of Music
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 3/1/1956 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Music | Page Views: 2924 |
| How my dad gave me the most precious thing I own. | |||
My father loved music, and one of the first things he got me was a wind-up, "portable" phonograph. That was followed by an electric combination record player and radio, and then an RCA player for the new 45-RPM records.
Read more…
Mysterious Visitor
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/8/1956 |
Topics: #AlienAbductions #Autobiography | Page Views: 3264 |
| And then I was visited by an alien… | |||
It was weeks later, and I had been put to bed on a normal, uneventful, night. However, I awoke in terror to find my room lit by a strange, blue light that glowed from the living room visible through my open door. Between the door and my bed, clearly silhouetted in the doorway, was a tall, angular figure, hooded and gray. To me, it looked like a statue; so I thought the Blessed Virgin was in my bedroom…and it did not belong there. I was terrified, and tried to scream for Mom—only to discover I was also paralyzed.
Read more…
Mommy's Little Helper
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 6/1/1956 |
Topics: #Autobiography | Page Views: 3116 |
| How I stumbled on a method to avoid doing chores for the rest of my life. | |||
I put the four items into the sink—I had to stand on a chair to reach it—but what I really wanted to do was mix cleaning products. So I got the egg beater and pitcher, half-filled it with warm water, and started adding every thing I could find: Surf, Spic 'n Span, hand soap; I even poured in a little shampoo from the bathroom. I then used the egg beater to blend it all to a nice, frothy, consistency.
Read more…
The Time I Ran Away
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 6/1/1956 |
Topics: #Autobiography | Page Views: 3175 |
| Typical of me, I wasn't really running AWAY…I was running TO. | |||
My father took me for a walk, one day, and we reached the top of a hill just as the sun was setting. I had asked where Disneyland was, and my father pointed in the direction of the setting sun. Of course, he meant "west" but I thought he meant, just over the next hill.
Read more…
Christmas, 1956
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/25/1956 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Christmas | Page Views: 3727 |
| How to teach a kindergarten student to distrust authority. | |||
As the year drew to an end it grew cold and snow fell on the ground. When we wanted to go out Mommy bundled us up in garments called "snowsuits" that were basically full body armor filled with down. They were supposed to keep the cold out; I believe they would have stopped an AK-47 slug as well. When they were on, every part of our bodies were covered, even our mouths, thanks to the woolen scarf that had been wrapped around us prior to the enveloping by the suit. Then came mittens (which prevented us from using our fingers) and rubber boots (which just about prevented us from walking). Once we'd been safely insulated, Mommy would open the door and allow us to go outside.
Read more…
1957
First Grade
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/10/1957 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Education Milestone: #Education | Page Views: 2976 |
| I did not like my first-grade teacher. | |||
| Milestone: | Education |
|---|---|
| Grade: | 1st |
| School: | Mount Virgin |
| Teacher: | Mrs. Buzanowski |
Read more…
Kindergarten
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/9/1957 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Education Milestone: #Education | Page Views: 1088 |
| I am thrown into the educational system. | |||
| Milestone: | Education |
|---|---|
| Grade: | Kindergarten |
| School: | Mount Virgin |
Read more…
1958
That Time We Moved To Vermont
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 6/1/1958 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Vermont #Victory Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 6560 |
| Rural life in the 1950s. | |||
| Milestone: | Change of Residence |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1291 River Road, Victory, Vermont |
Read more…
Second Grade
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/8/1958 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Education Milestone: #Education | Page Views: 2926 |
| My continuing education. | |||
| Milestone: | Education |
|---|---|
| Grade: | 2nd |
| School: | Concord Elementary |
| Teacher: | Mrs. Alice McGinnis |
Read more…
Farewell, My Father
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 11/11/1958 |
Topics: #Autobiography #WalterS.Cilwa Milestone: #Death | Page Views: 3099 |
| At 7 years old, I experienced my second death-in-the-family. | |||
As the days grew shorter and colder, Dad stayed home more. He wasn't feeling well. I was unaware of details and didn't know how long this had been going on. One day I asked how come he wasn't going to work.
Read more…
Christmas, 1958
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/25/1958 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Bloomfield #Christmas #NewJersey | Page Views: 3069 |
| Spending a winter with grandparents after my father's death. | |||
My father had passed away, but life goes on. We were at my grandparents' garden apartment in Bloomfield, New Jersey; but it was November and everyone else was in school, so it was lonely during the days. And it was cold, too; so it wasn't much fun to play outside. Still, we did; and I had my first experience getting lost.
Read more…
1959
Second Grade in New Jersey
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 1/2/1959 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Education Milestone: #Education | Page Views: 3394 |
| Picking up where I left off. | |||
| Milestone: | Education |
|---|---|
| Grade: | 2nd |
| School: | Fairview Elementary |
Read more…
Return to Victory
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/27/1959 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Vermont | Page Views: 4880 |
| The return to our house in Vermont after my father's death. | |||
By April, Bloomfield's snow had melted. The same was not true in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. The fields and meadows were laid out in great swaths of white, like a Norse god's formal dinner table. As we reached the unpaved section of the River Road that connected North Concord and Victory, it was clear not even the sturdy Country Squire was going to be able to traverse twenty miles of mud to the house. And so Mom turned around and rented a room in the nearest town of size, St. Johnsbury, to await the break of spring.
Read more…
Third Grade
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/7/1959 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Education Milestone: #Education | Page Views: 3070 |
| My continuing education. | |||
| Milestone: | Education |
|---|---|
| Grade: | 3rd |
| School: | East Concord Elementary |
| Teacher: | Mrs. Gwen Howe |
Read more…
Our First Vermont Winter
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/25/1959 Posted: 4/28/2007 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Christmas #NorthConcord #Val'sMotel #Vermont | Page Views: 4313 |
| Reminiscing about Christmas at Val's Motel in North Concord, Vermont, in 1959. | |||
As a widow with three children, with winter of 1959 approaching, my mom decided we could not remain in our isolated house down 20 miles of snow-covered, gravel road with no telephone. And so she found an "efficiency" apartment available for rent at Val's Motel, about 25 miles from the house, but on a paved highway and with modern conveniences like phone and electricity. She arranged for us to spend the winter there, and brought over enough clothes and cooking utensils to tide us over. Once the snow closed in, we would either have to do without anything we forgot, or buy a new one.
Read more…
1960s
1961
1961: The Beach House
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 10/2/1961 Posted: 2/10/2009 |
Topics: #Florida #St.AugustineBeach #Travel | Page Views: 6316 |
| Blog Entry posted February 10, 2009 | |||
In the 1920s, my Mom and her mother made several winter trips to St. Augustine, Florida (without her father, who remained in Bloomfield, New Jersey, to work his optometry practice). Mom liked it there, especially the mild winters and laid-back attitude common to many Southern towns of the period.
Read more…
Spring, 1961
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/1/1961 Posted: 1/13/2019 |
Page Views: 1143 | |
| Informal family portraits. | |||
We spent the winter of 1960/1961 at Val's Motel in Concord, Vermont. We had become friends with the proprietors so when the snows melted and we were ready to go home, we took pictures with them. And then, again, when we did get home, we took more!
Read more…
Visiting Grandparents in St Johnsbury
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 6/1/1961 Posted: 1/13/2019 |
Page Views: 1223 | |
| Family portraits taken at my grandparents' apartment building. | |||
After my dad died, my grandparents moved from Bloomfield, New Jersey, where they had lived forever, to St Johnsbury, Vermont, to be closer to us. They moved into a townhouse apartment in a small, four-unit building. Their landlady was Mrs Cox, a widow.
Read more…
A Visit From The Browns
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 8/3/1961 Posted: 1/13/2019 |
Page Views: 1035 | |
| My mom's cousins descended upon us for a visit. | |||
My Mom's cousins lived in upstate New York, and one day came for a visit. They were led by Cousin Jairus, who had a terrible allergy to pollen, one so bad we would now call it asthma. But I didn't understand such things, and in any case, no one had warned me. So, when the cousins had arrived, I went into the meadow and gathered a huge armload of goldenrod, and brought it in as a welcome gift.
Read more…
St. George Street
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 11/1/1961 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Florida #St.Augustine Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 2601 |
| The year we moved to St. Augustine, Florida. | |||
My grandfather, Vernon Brown, usually held court in the living room. In this photo, he is wearing the goatee that so upset my grandmother. He was suffering from a bout of some kind of senility (years later identified as an electrolyte imbalance) and read Gone With The Wind over and over—and, each time he did, he would grow the goatee and draw one on his photo. Gramma would cry and erase it, then hide the photo until he shaved off his goatee.
Read more…
1969
Flying Saucers I Have Known
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 5/3/1969 |
Topics: #AlienAbuduction #Autobiography #UFOs | Page Views: 3139 |
| About a couple of weird things that happened near St. Augustine Beach. | |||
Our neighborhood, while a conventional subdivision, was nevertheless almost as far south as development went on Anastasia Island. Consequently, it was very dark there at night. And several odd occurrences happened to us while we were there.
Read more…
Class Night
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 5/31/1969 |
Topics: #Autobiography | Page Views: 1945 |
| How I avoided being blinded by grain alcohol the night before graduation. | |||
Being an older teenager is an exciting time yet also terrifying. There are all these new things we're expected to just know about, and we pretend we already do, when in fact it's all new and scary. Sex, dancing, drugs, cigarettes, and, of course, drinking alcohol are all rites of passage through which we must navigate. That's why last night's Class Night party was such an adventure, as I'd been told I would be drinking, whether I wanted to or not.
Read more…
My First Plane Flight
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/19/1969 Posted: 7/25/2007 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Florida #Humor #Travel | Page Views: 3348 |
| My first flight was rougher than I had expected. | |||
How in 1969, I managed to embarrass myself and disgrace my family name for generations to come…all during a 20-minute jet flight from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Read more…
1970s
1972
My First Wedding
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 2/14/1972 |
Topics: #Autobiography #MaryAnnSteinbergCilwa #Wedding Milestone: #Marriage | Page Views: 3881 |
| My first wedding was to Mary Ann Steinberg of St. Augustine, Florida, in February, 1972. | |||
I'm not saying I wish it hadn't happened. It happened perfectly. I adore my children and grandchildren and was friends with my ex-wife, up to and including being the one who became her caregiver when she came down with cancer. But it has to be said: my now ex-dead-father-in-law tricked me into marrying his daughter.
Read more…
Our First Apartment
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 2/19/1972 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Florida #Palatka Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 3042 |
| Playing 'Married' at 20 years old. | |||
In the early '70s, people—especially Mary's 80-year-old father—still had the idea that getting married equaled a stay-at-home wife. And so, when she and I got married, Mary quit her job—one that she enjoyed and was good at, working with blind kids—and we moved into our new apartment on Laurel Street in Palatka, Florida.
Read more…
Palm Coast
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/5/1972 |
Topics: #Autobiography #PalmCoast | Page Views: 3458 |
| My first job after the wedding. | |||
So Mary and I, and our friend John, settled into our airy single-wide mobile home in Breezy Brae Trailer Park, in Florida. It was the middle of April, 1972. Mary and I had been married for two months. Now all we needed were jobs.
Read more…
On The Radio
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 6/15/1972 |
Page Views: 5138 | |
| My six months of fame. | |||
I had always wanted to work at a radio station.
Read more…
1990s
2000s
2000
My Big Fat Gay Wedding
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 8/12/2000 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Marriage #MichaelManion #Same-SexMarriage Milestone: #Marriage | Page Views: 3712 |
| Michael and I were married in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Surprise, AZ on August 12, 2000, at noon, by the Rev. Walt Wieder and the Rev. Surya-Patricia Lane Hood. Feel free to browse our wedding album. You're invited! | |||
Michael Manion and I were married in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Surprise, AZ on August 12, 2000, at noon, by the Rev. Walt Wieder and the Rev. Surya-Patricia Lane Hood.
Read more…
2006
Wisdom Teeth and Intelligent Design
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 1/24/2006 |
Topics: #Evolution #IntelligentDesign #Science | Page Views: 1563 |
| I have a wisdom tooth removed. | |||
Yesterday afternoon I went to the dentist. More specifically, I went to the Arizona School of Dentistry, where I get cut-rate dental work done by students. This sounds scary, but I had an emergency tooth-pulling done there and it was a lot less painful than the teeth I had pulled when I was in Navy boot camp.
Read more…
Christmas Wish List
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/5/2006 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 4857 |
| My Christmas wish list for 2006. | |||
I hate making out these lists. Frankly, it seems like anyone who knows me well enough to be giving me a gift, should know what I might like. However, everyone who does know me, says they need a list. I do have a wish list at Amazon.com:
Read more…
Christmas Letter 2006!
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/18/2006 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 3211 |
| Our Year In Review: 2006. | |||
It's time again for your yearly recap of the adventures of the Cilwa-Manions.
Read more…
2009
The House On Natal
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 8/29/2009 |
Topics: #9526E.NatalAve. #Arizona #Autobiography #Mesa Milestone: #Residence | Page Views: 2983 |
| Despite my concern that I would never be able to own a house…I bought a house. | |||
For whatever reason, I have always had this idea in my head that home ownership is a scam. Nevertheless, Michael really wanted to own a house. As did everyone else in the family. Now, it did turn out I was right—I wound up losing the house. Still, it was fun while it lasted.
Read more…
25 Random Facts About Me, Paul S. Cilwa
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 2/23/2009 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Humor | Page Views: 2838 |
| More than you're likely to ever want to know. | |||
It used to take a few weeks for a fad to sweep the nation. "Sorry about that, Chief!" needed at least three episodes of Get Smart! to air before everyone in the country was repeating it. (My mom was still saying it the day she died.)
Read more…
Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/11/2009 |
Topics: #Colonoscopy #Humor | Page Views: 5251 |
| My first colonoscopy. | |||
Today I had my first colonoscopy. When Mom had her first one, maybe 20 years ago, it was a miserable experience for her, one which not only hurt as it was happening, but for weeks afterwards. People are supposed to have a colonoscopy performed at 50 years of age, which for me was 8 years ago. But Mom's experience caused me to hesitate. Still, we've had a number of family members succumb to colon cancer. So it seemed like I really shouldn't put it off any longer.
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Wheel of Seasons
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 9/17/2009 |
Page Views: 4428 | |
| I ponder the changing of the seasons as the temperature drops down to two digits. | |||
I've lived, now, in three corners of the United States so I guess I'm as qualified as anyone to reflect on the seasons and the difference in how they change. I'm moved to do this now that the days here in Phoenix are cooling in preparation for autumn. Today's high will be "only" 97°F.
Read more…
Christmas Letter 2009
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 12/15/2009 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Christmas | Page Views: 5860 |
| Our Christmas Letter for the year to all our friends and family. | |||
Like you, we at the Cilwa-Manion household are stunned at how quickly this year has flown. Can it really be time for the annual Christmas (excuse us, "Holiday") letter already? Well, it is; so without any further ado let's recap what we've been up to.
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2010s
2010
Office Space
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 2/24/2010 |
Topics: #Autobiography #Toyota | Page Views: 4636 |
| In which I show off my place of employment. | |||
Many of you know that I work at Toyota Financial Services. (At, not for, as I am a consultant.) Partially since Toyota has been in the news lately, and partially because we can't bring in visitors (for safety reasons), and partially because I just moved to a new desk, I thought I would describe my work environment and, in general terms, what I do here.
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Oh, My Arm!
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 5/13/2010 |
Topics: #Health | Page Views: 4908 |
| I whine about my pulled muscle. | |||
I tore a muscle in my arm two weeks ago in Hawaii. It was almost healed by the past weekend, when I re-tore it on a whitewater rafting trip. Yesterday was my regular visit to my doctor, and I had to explain why my arm looked like someone had backed over it two or three times with the Chrysler.
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Enjoying Our Pool
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 5/16/2010 |
Topics: #NatalAvenueHouse | Page Views: 5304 |
| In which we actually get in our pool! | |||
As you may know, our new (as of October) house includes a pool and today was the first day I actually got to go in it! In addition to Michael and me, and Jenny and Zach, we also had Mary visiting and our son John and his girlfriend Rachel (who will be moving back in with us at the end of the month).
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Guns and Roses
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 5/31/2010 |
Topics: #MemorialDay #NatalAvenue #Zachary | Page Views: 3134 |
| Zach shoots his BB gun, I photograph our garden, and we ponder the meaning of Memorial Day. | |||
What could be more appropriate on Memorial Day, than to send the kids out to do target practice?
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The War Between Cats and Dogs
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 6/4/2010 |
Topics: #Cats #Dogs #NatalAvenue | Page Views: 4729 |
| In which we let sleeping dogs (and cats) lie. | |||
We have two dogs and two cats living with us. All my life, I had heard how cats and dogs despise each other. It's true, one of our cats is rather standoffish and doesn't seem to really like the dogs. But she doesn't like us, or for that matter, the other cat, that much, either. Her name is Cassie and she will let Zachary do absolutely anything to her; but the rest of us see very little of her.
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Oh, My Hands!
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 6/6/2010 |
Topics: #Arizona #Cactus #Tonapah | Page Views: 5126 |
| Don't pick up a cactus without gloves, like I did. | |||
I've lived in Arizona since 1997, and visited here seven times before that. I have seen cacti before. Close-up, even. So you'd think I'd know better than to load up my hands with cactus needles. But, apparently I don't.
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Tenth Anniversary
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 8/12/2010 |
Topics: #IreneZeigler #MarriageEquality #PastaBrioni #ThePoisonedPen | Page Views: 5184 |
| Michael and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. | |||
Today, Michael and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. For some odd reason, the tenth is supposed to be the "tin" anniversary. That is, we are supposed to receive gifts made of tin. Does anyone make anything of tin anymore? I propose that we officially rewrite the anniversary gift lists and designate the tenth wedding anniversary the Porn Anniversary. By now, that would be a useful gift!
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Nancy Drew and the Missing Cell Phone
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 10/2/2010 |
Page Views: 5664 | |
| I spend the day trying to locate my cell phone. | |||
Today I planned to go camping at Lockett Meadow in the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff. Instead, I spent it trying to locate my lost cell phone. Here's what happened.
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Uh-oh, I Wet My Cellphone
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 10/17/2010 |
Topics: #Cellphone | Page Views: 3165 |
| Blog Entry posted October 17, 2010, in which I have another cellphone misadventure. | |||
I do not have a long history of bad luck with cellphones. In fact, they've done pretty well for me. But two weeks ago, one of Zach's friends swiped mine; I got it back, but yesterday I fell into the pool with it. So either my luck has changed for the worse, or it was really time to get a new phone.
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Augusta Ranch Picnic
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 10/23/2010 |
Topics: #NatalAve.House | Page Views: 4974 |
| Blog Entry posted October 00, 2010, in which we go to out neighborhood's semi-annual picnic. | |||
Tonight our homeowner's association held a community picnic. Michael and Zach and I, along with Zach's friend Tyler, attended. (Jenny decided the laundry, and her bed, were more appealing.)
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Halloween, 2010
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 10/31/2010 |
Topics: #Halloween | Page Views: 4715 |
| Blog Entry posted October 31, 2010, in which we celebrate our third favorite holiday. | |||
On the yearly holiday countdown, today is #3: Halloween. And we celebrated over the entire weekend, beginning with an awesome party last night and the candy-ladling tonight.
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Christmas Letter, 2010
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/21/2010 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 4755 |
| Blog Entry posted December 21, 2010, in which we attempt to summarize the past year. | |||
Like you, we are stunned at how quickly this year has flown. Can it really be time for the annual Christmas (excuse us, "Holiday") letter already? Well, it is; so without any further ado let's recap what we've been up to.
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Jason
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/27/2010 |
Topics: #Jason Milestone: #Relationship | Page Views: 3443 |
| I announce a new boyfriend, fiance, and life. | |||
Then, when I least expected it, this past October I happened to meet a young man named Jason. And that changed everything for me. I couldn't stop thinking about him; and when I did, my heart skipped a beat. By November 11, I realized I was falling in love with him and told him so. To my joy and amazement, Jason admitted that he was also falling in love, with me.
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2011
Oh, My Leg!
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 5/4/2011 |
Topics: #Flesh-EatingBacteria #Health #NecrotizingFaciitis | Page Views: 7975 |
| My near-death experience with flesh-eating bacteria. | |||
My last blog entry was dated January 7th, and I apologize for that. I didn't die. But, it seems, I came pretty close. Here's what happened.
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Jason and Paul's Grand Canyon Wedding
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 6/16/2011 |
Topics: #Arizona #GayMarriage #GrandCanyon #Jason #MarriageEquality | Page Views: 5791 |
| Blog Entry posted June 16, 2011, in which Jason and I marry at the Grand Canyon. | |||
Today was the day that Jason and I eloped and got married.
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Obsession
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 10/25/2011 |
Topics: #Jason #OCD | Page Views: 5472 |
| in which I discover Jason has OCD. | |||
As previously documented, I fell in love with a man named Jason and married him in a private sharing of vows at Grand Canyon. In a fairytale world, that would have led to "happily ever after". Sadly, the real world seldom operates that way. And, despite the claims of popular songs to the contrary, sometimes love just ain't enough.
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Codependency
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 11/1/2011 |
Topics: #Codependency | Page Views: 5223 |
| It's time I recognized my role in my past unsuccessful relationships. | |||
I've just ended my fourth romantic relationship and it's time to look at the role I played in why they didn't work out, as a first step in learning to stop perpetuating this pattern.
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Christmas, 2011
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/30/2011 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 3391 |
| In which I review the past, tumultuous year. | |||
This is the first year, since I started sending Christmas letters in 1976, that I am doing so while living alone. Nevertheless, here is my annual Christmas letter for 2011.
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2016
Farewell, My 2015
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 1/5/2016 |
Topics: #AnnualLetter | Page Views: 3322 |
| A brief review (with lots of photos) to bring you up to date on the year just passed. | |||
It's been a few years since I've done one of these year-end letters. It's not because I tired of doing them; it's just that I've been recovering from my bout of flesh-eating bacteria from 2011 and, frankly, this is the first time since then I've felt up to doing one.
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2016: Year In Review
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/23/2016 |
Topics: #2016InReview #AboutMe | Page Views: 2104 |
| All the things that happened to me in 2016. | |||
Most people, with a few happy exceptions, had a pretty shitty 2016. This is actually something I predicted several years ago, as this is the last year before August 21, 2017, when Earth officially reaches adequate quantum frequency to say we're in 4th Density. Before then, the Darkness will make a last, frantic stab at not disappearing, since Darkness cannot abide the Light of the increasing frequency. However, that said, 2016 did provide many blessings to the Cilwa clan, and to Keith and I in particular…mostly because we made an effort to have a great time!
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2017
Our Little Home In Key West
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 3/25/2017 Updated: 6/13/2017 |
Topics: #Autobiolgraphy #KeyWest | Page Views: 1556 |
| Keith and I will be moving to Key West in October, and this is the place we'll be moving into. | |||
My daughter, Jennifer, moved to Key West late last year and, as I did some years back when I moved to Arizona and encouraged the rest of the family to join me, Jenny is now encouraging us all to move to Key West. Keith and I both love the Keys, so it wasn't too hard to make the decision. So we picked a place, and got a batch of photos that will have to do since the condo is currently being rented. (It will be available for us to move into in October.)
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Changing Sanctuaries
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 4/27/2017 |
Topics: #Autobiography #KeyWest #Phoenix | Page Views: 1899 |
| Pondering an upcoming residential move. | |||
It's a small, enclosed patio, a garden, really, though my gardening skills are meager at best and now that I'm recovering from a leg broken in two places, non-existent. Yet it's my favorite part of this condo. It feels so sheltered and safe despite its location in Central Phoenix. There may be crime occurring within a square mile, but here, it's quiet but for the sounds of birds and the hum of distant traffic from the freeway. But nothing is more constant than change, and it appears that Keith and I will be moving to a condo in Key West come October. It too has a porch, overlooking the inner row of condos and, possibly, a glimpse of the Gulf.
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Flash Wedding
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 8/19/2017 |
Topics: #Autobiography #KeithJim #Wedding | Page Views: 2718 |
| All the photos from my wedding to Keith Jim. | |||
Oh, joyous day! Today I married my love, Keith Jim, in a small, family ceremony near Sunset Crater, just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona (location chosen because it's between Phoenix, where Keith and I and much of my family live, and Shiprock, New Mexico, where most of Keith's family lives.
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Christmas 2017
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/24/2017 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 1788 |
| 2017 was a year filled with endings and beginnings. | |||
As it was for pretty much everyone, 2017 was a helluva year. We had a wedding but also multiple funerals; moved out of two places and into a new one. So let's get started, shall we?
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2018
My 67th Birthday
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Occurred: 4/8/2018 |
Topics: #Autobiography #FamilyGet-Togethers | Page Views: 1489 |
| All the photos from my birthday party. | |||
I made it through another year! And we celebrated at my daughter, Jenny's, home (also known as "The Castle"). In attendance, in addition to myself and Jenny, were my husband, Keith; my co-grandparent Michael; my son, John; Jenny's husband, Jimmy; Jimmy's niece Danielle; and Jenny and Jimmy's babies, Gianna and Dominic. In addition we Facetimed with my daughter Karen. (My other daughter, Dorothy, was at work.)
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Christmas, 2018
| By: Paul S. Cilwa | Posted: 12/17/2018 |
Topics: #Christmas | Page Views: 1317 |
| In which I review the past year. | |||
2018 was a pleasant year for Keith and me, as we took it easy while I continued healing from the leg break I suffered in 2017. In keeping with that, we went on as many hikes as possible, as well as an excellent vacation in Malibu.
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